


A Present for Mischa

by diningwithpsychopaths



Category: Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Genre: A bit sad, Fluff, M/M, Some Cuddling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2013-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-06 01:05:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1100637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diningwithpsychopaths/pseuds/diningwithpsychopaths
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hannibal is enjoying his first Christmas with Will, but as his lover sleeps there is a Christmas tradition that he has to uphold.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Present for Mischa

Hannibal sat in his living room, the fire having nearly died out, the soft reddish orange glow enlarging the shadows of the unwrapped presents littering the floor as well as the shapes of himself and Will. Hannibal watched as the shadows trembled on the walls, curling to the ceiling and he swirled around a drinks worth of brandy in his snifter. Will was asleep next to him, his feet beneath Hannibal's thighs to stay warm, a red throw blanket thrown over him and a Santa hat, put on as a joke earlier, covering half of his eyes from sight.

A soft crackle came from the fireplace, a dying attempt at staying alive and Hannibal gave a deep sigh. It had been a pleasant Christmas, the best he had had in a very long time but now that Will had dozed off and the fire was slowly dying Hannibal could feel something sad boiling in his gut, threatening to expand in his chest.

Normally he spent his Christmas' alone, attending all of the social events of the season up until the actually holiday, no matter who invited him over for Christmas. This year had been different, though, with Will entering his life in a more intimate way than Hannibal had dared hope for, but he had found Will's presence enjoyable. He had garnered much satisfaction in shopping for his mongoose, and then some as he watched him open the presents. It had been especially wonderful to see the blush bloom on Will's face when he had opened his last present, a simple black collar that Will had on now, but which the blanket covered from sight.

Now that Will slept, however, Hannibal could feel the brooding of Christmas' past settling upon him. The reason he normally spent Christmas alone was because he preferred to treat it as if it were any other day, but he had one Christmas tradition he had begun back in his college days at Johns Hopkins, and this Christmas was no different.

Hannibal savored the last of his brandy, set the snifter on the coaster on the side table beside the sofa, and then carefully rose, making sure to cover Will's feet with the throw blanket so that the cool air did not wake the younger man. He made his way over to the impressive Christmas tree, decorated with deep red baubles and silver tinsel, and was careful not to step on any of the wrapping paper he had not cleaned up yet; Will telling him that they should be lazy on Christmas and that the clean up could wait.

There was one more present beneath the Christmas tree, hidden far in the darkened corner by the fireplace, away from where Hannibal had placed his and Will's presents. Hannibal grabbed the small present and turned his head briefly to make sure that Will still slept. He adored Will very much, but some things Hannibal believed were meant to be kept secret.

Hannibal stood up and walked in front of the fireplace, taking the poker and rousing the dying fire until it had a bit more gusto to its crackle and volume in its flame. The light cast Hannibal's eye sockets and the underneath of his sharp cheeks in shadows, his eyes glowing more red than maroon as the flame flickered as a reflection in the black of his pupils.

His fingers held the small present delicately and he spread apart the tag, a sad little smile emerging on his lips as he read his own script.

_To Mischa_   
_Love,_   
_Hannibal_

Hannibal brought the present close to his face and gave his sister's name a small kiss, his eyes closing as he remembered her small chubby hands reaching for the doll he had given her for Christmas, her broken Lithuanian calling out his voice as she smiled brightly at him in innocent appreciation. He was not the kind of person to hold on to past sorrows, but forgetting Mischa was not an option and besides he wasn't necessarily lamenting.

Hannibal opened his eyes and gave her name one last fond look before tossing the present into the fire. The flames eagerly took to it, flaring up in momentary joy. Hannibal watched the smoke the present gave off and then looked out his window at the flurries of snow outside, imagining the smoke rising high up to curl around the stars, past the moon, to a place where Mischa was smiling at him.

“Hannibal?”

Hannibal turned to see Will staring blearily at him, the renewed firelight glinting off the younger man's glasses and even a peek of the silver buckle of Will's collar. Will was propped up on his elbow as he watched his lover with curiosity.

“What're you doing?” Will asked.

“Just feeding the fire,” Hannibal explained and then placed another log in the fireplace, careful not to crush Mischa's present.

When he came back to the sofa he invaded Will's personal space, moving Will aside a bit so that he could be seated where Will's torso was, and then took his lover into his arms so that he could bring him to his chest. “I did not wish for you to become cold.”

Will gave a chuckle and nuzzled his face against the soft material of Hannibal's robe. Will had convinced Hannibal to stay in his pajamas all day with him as they lounged about, eating Christmas sweets and meats and enjoying one another's company.

“I think you're an adequate enough heater,” Will murmured as his body settled against Hannibal's after finding the most comfortable position.

Hannibal smiled and ran his fingers through Will's curls. He watched the fire, watched as Mischa's present burned smaller and smaller until it was indistinguishable from the logs, a small smile on his face as he enjoyed the warmth of Will nestled against him.

**Author's Note:**

> I just adore Hannibal thinking about MIscha. It just makes him so human and I love it!


End file.
